A History of Change
by Sango Himura
Summary: Semi-AU Kenshin was an assassin that helped the Ishin Shishi during the Revolution, but what if the Imperialists had lost the war? PG13 just to be safe.
1. The Meeting

A/N: italics = thoughts or emphasis on certain words. I think you can tell the difference.  
" " = Talking  
  
Disclaimer:  
  
Sango: Me owning Kenshin is about as likely as me getting Sheik83 to try Dance Revolution (a totally awesome game, I might add, oh yeah, I don't own that either)...  
  
Sheik83: Hey!  
  
Sango: ... Seeing as neither of those things will EVER happen...  
  
Sheik83: *mutters* I can't help it if I don't like dancing.  
  
Sango: ... I never have owned Rurouni Kenshin and likely never will. I certainly don't own it now.  
  
Sheik83: That she doesn't!  
  
Kenshin: That's my line!  
  
Sango: Jeez... thanks for rubbing it in guys, you can't even let me dream. *sulks in corner* Stupid disclaimer, always having to go and make us authors feel all depressed...  
  
Kenshin: Just get on with it! We're tired of waiting!  
  
Kaoru: Yeah, no one ever reads these things anyway  
  
Sango: On with the fic!  
  
A History of Change  
  
By Sango Himura  
  
Chapter 1: The Meeting  
  
"Stop in the name of the law. This is the police! You are under arrest!"  
  
He heard the shouts following him accompanied by the shrill whistles of the police. Just keep running, he thought to himself. Even while he was wearing a dark cloak that concealed him quite well, the police had still been able to figure out who he was. But how? His long orange-red hair was securely tied in a ponytail under the long hood of his cloak. Maybe it was my scar that gave me away, he thought as he sprinted through the streets, changing directions and streets often, trying to disguise the paths he had taken. The cross-shaped scar on his left cheek had often betrayed him in situations when he had tried to keep his identity hidden.  
  
Today was a bright, sunny day so there weren't many shadows that might have given the perfect cover in different weather situations. The people in the streets began to move to the side of the road to clear a path for him to run down without bumping into anything, but he was sure they were not doing it out of kindness. This kind of chase happened often that everyone knew just to get out of the way if they didn't want to be charged with interfering with the capture of a wanted criminal. If a policeman accidentally ran into one of the townsfolk, the government could find a way to accuse them of helping the criminal or being associated with the above cause or say they were an Imperialist plotting against them like the Ishin Shishi already tried to. After the Imperialists lost the revolution, the government became too powerful and the important figureheads who had assisted the Imperialists were thrown into a game of hide and go seek, always running and hiding from the law. Most of them had gotten used to it by now and were very good at evading getting into positions like he was. Even though the revolution had failed almost five years ago, all police units were still looking for any Imperialists that were still alive. At least, they were alive until they were caught. It was all part of the governments' plan to prevent another revolution from happening.  
  
A shot rang out, shattering the man's thoughts and encouraging him to run faster. More bullets followed soon after, singling him out as a target since he was the only one running. He was usually fast enough to avoid bullets thanks to his training in the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu style of swordsmanship, but he was already tired from running so hard and made no effort to evade the flying bits of steel. The sound of the guns became louder and he felt something graze his shoulder.  
  
The man quickly ducked into another alley to catch his breath for a moment, hoping his pursuers didn't see him turn. He was gasping for breath and sweating heavily when he noticed that his right shoulder had been shot and was now bleeding profusely. Now I can't even use my sword to protect myself, he thought to himself as he remembered the katana he had hidden beneath his cloak. By now, his wounded arm was rigid in pain and his vision was becoming less and less clear, both from heat and loss of blood. I didn't know that such a small wound could bleed so much, he thought as he pondered what to do. He needed to get to a doctor fast, but what doctor would treat him? As far as he knew, everyone wanted him dead. All his allies were either dead or in hiding.  
  
He felt a delicate hand clutch his left arm. His first instinct was to draw his sword, but then he remembered that he couldn't use any of his sword techniques when his arm was paralyzed. He also felt that this person was somehow a friend. The hand was small, perhaps that of a woman or child. Maybe they could help him. He turned to face the figure hidden by some of the few shadows.  
  
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Kamiya Kaoru sat on the steps leading up to the entrance of her former dojo, fiddling with her long raven black hair that was kept up in her usual ponytail. She had had to stop her training sessions since carrying swords had been banned ever since the revolution was tried. Even the bokken she had used to train her students in the style of Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu style was banned. All schools that taught swordsmanship had been shut down all across Japan and if the owner refused, they were killed.  
  
Wow, it's almost lunchtime already, she thought to herself before remembering that she didn't have any food left. She hadn't found a new job yet and was relying on the money she had saved up for emergencies, which was already running thin. Getting up from her position, she grabbed her cloak out of her bedroom and got her small amount of money out of her purse. She had no use whatsoever for the cloak so she hoped she could sell it for enough money to have a decent dinner and maybe breakfast the next day. Time to go grocery shopping, she thought gloomily. One meal would wipe out almost half of what she had left. (AN: I don't know if they called it grocery-shopping, gomen if it's inaccurate.)  
  
Kaoru slipped out the front gate and headed for the market. As the main street drew nearer, the sound of police whistles could faintly be heard but she paid no attention to them. This happened every other day; the police supposedly find another surviving Imperialist and chase a usually innocent person through the streets. Only a handful had actually committed a crime or was the person the police were actually looking for. Everyone knew it was wrong, even the police, but no one was brave enough to confront them for fear of being charged with crimes against the government. Some of the residents of the town, like herself, tried to help the "criminals" knowing they probably just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time or were somehow related to an Imperialist through their neighbor's cousin's wife's second child's distant relative's grandma twice removed who happened to know an Imperialist. In other words, the police used crack-and-bull stories to execute anyone who was suspicious looking or happened to annoy them.  
  
Now moving quickly towards the commotion, she wondered who they were after this time. As she was got closer, she heard the sound of gunfire and hoped she wasn't too late to help if she could. Usually when the police used guns, they thought the person was especially dangerous and usually met the targets they were aiming for. Their victims had no chance, especially since the police usually chased the unfortunate person first, until they were out of breath and couldn't run or dodge bullets very well.  
  
Kaoru arrived just in time to see a cloaked figure duck into an alley. All the other people had cleared to the sides of the street, minding their own business as was normal, so it was easy to tell that the person she had seen was the one the police were after. Following the person down the street they had turned into, she immediately noticed that he was hurt. She grabbed a hold of his uninjured arm to get his attention.  
  
"We have to get out of here, come on, I can help you," she urged.  
  
The voice that replied was stern and masculine. "I'll wait here." As he spoke, she felt a shiver go down her spine. It was not so much the actual words that were being spoken, but the way he said them and the tone of voice he used. "If you don't go now you'll be caught, too. You know what happens if they catch you. I'm all right, really." Kaoru noticed that even as he spoke this there was a note of pain in his voice.  
  
"Not with that arm you're not, we have to go now; do you want to die?"  
  
He looked at her sternly. Those eyes. They were a deep purple and seemed to portray his mood and character perfectly. She sensed a hint of sadness hidden behind them. Suddenly, Kaoru felt as if she had known him her entire life and wondered what his name was.  
  
The man started to turn back to the street, apparently determined to keep running, but she firmly grabbed his injured arm. He winced and let out a gasp of pain. "Let me go," he said angrily. Again, the girl felt an air of authority in his voice. "No, I can help. I'm not a nurse or anything, but I can at least bandage that up," she hesitated, "and you can stay at my place until this whole mess has cleared up. They'll forget about it in a day or two." Pondering this for a second, he yanked his arm free, wincing once more, and Kaoru was afraid that he was going to try and leave again when he turned towards her, apparently wanting her to lead him.  
  
Kaoru took his bloodstained cloak, folding it carefully to hide the stain and put it under her arm before replacing it with the one she had been hoping to sell.  
  
Seeing his face fully for the first time, she guessed that he was in his early twenties but his eyes seemed full of too much anger and wisdom for someone that young. She only had a quick glance before he used her cloak to cover his face again so she couldn't study his features more. She did, however, notice that a cross-shaped scar covered his left cheek and flaming red hair. He somehow seemed familiar, like there was something important about him that she should remember.  
  
"Now follow me," she commanded, figuring she better not waste any more time trying to figure out what he looked like or who he was. It will come to me eventually and probably at the most inopportune time, too, she thought and almost grinned but remembered that this would be the wrong time to do that. They cautiously made their way back into the street, trying to blend with the crowd that lined the edges of the street. Kaoru could see the police now. They were holding swords along with their revolvers. Kaoru began to guide him down the side of the street towards the road that lead to her home, pausing to look at something displayed at a stall whenever a policeman ran by. The police passed them with shouts of confusion as to where the man they were chasing had gone. Smiling to herself as they passed, Kaoru looked up at her companion's face. He wore a blank expression under the hood of her cloak. He apparently noticed her staring and met her eyes. "Thank you for the help. I'm sure I can get along on my own now, though." He started to walk away. "Hey, wait a minute! Where do you think you're going! You still need treatment for that wound of yours!" She yelled as quietly as possible so as not to attract the still-running police.  
  
"It's fine, really."  
  
"No, it's not fine, you need help and quickly. You'll probably die if you don't."  
  
He didn't reply.  
  
Kaoru started walking again beckoning him to follow her. He did silently.  
  
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Like it? Hate it? Think I should never write another fic as long as I live? Please review! I'm sure you all know how good it feels to get a review. And I know Kenshin is OOC, I can explain why he's like that in the next chapter, it anyone even cares... Oh yeah, flames are accepted as long as you don't mind if I yell back at you. ^_^x  
  
~Sango 


	2. A Secret Learned

I'm so sorry I didn't update soon. Our computer had to get some things installed and then it had to get all these updates.  
  
Sh?ki: You wouldn't have updated anyways. You told me at school.  
  
Sango: Hehehe, never mind. I like being evil. It's fun.  
  
Oh yeah. If anyone cares, I reloaded chapter 1 so it has italics for thoughts. This is how I had originally written it but I had trouble with using the correct type of document. Long story short, I had to change them all to the ' ' things. If you guys liked it better that way, just tell me and I'll change it again. I also made the paragraphs shorter in a way so they're easier to read (well, I guess I think it's easier to read.) . And I put more spaces in between them.  
  
Disclaimer: I own Rurouni Kenshin just as much as any of you reading this. Unless of course you happen to be Nobuhiro Watsuki-san, Sony, Shonen Jump or anyone else lucky enough to own part of our beloved rurouni. Darn...  
  
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------------------ "." = talking italics = thoughts or emphasis on certain words. I think you can tell the difference.  
  
A History of Change  
  
By: Sango Himura  
  
Chapter 2: A Secret Learned  
  
When they got back to Kaoru's dwelling place, she took a look at the man's wound, debating whether she should call Megumi, a doctor who was also helping those falsely accused by the police.  
  
"Good news, the bullet went straight through, so all you'll need is bandages and some rest," she said to him. Megumi had also taught her some knowledge of how to treat wounds and this one didn't look to be very serious, it just needed to be cleaned and bandaged to stop the bleeding.  
  
"Are you sure it's alright if I stay here, you don't even know who I am?" was his answer. He seemed to be using as little words as possible, as if talking too much would somehow betray him.  
  
"Of course it's alright, I can't send you out there when they're still looking for you. I'm not that heartless. You can stay in the guest room. Hang on, I'll go get a spare futon."  
  
Kaoru got up and was about to leave but stopped at the doorway and asked, "What is your name anyways?"  
  
"It's Kenshin. Himura Kenshin."  
  
She smiled slightly before she said, "Mine's Kamiya Kaoru." Then she turned and left leaving Kenshin to stare after her retreating form.  
  
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Later that day, after Kaoru had illegally practiced her Kenjutsu techniques for a while, Kenshin joined her for a very late lunch as it was almost 3:00 already. He made no sound as he ate except the occasional click of chopsticks. Trying to start a conversation with him, Kaoru asked, "So, um, where do you live?"  
  
"I am a wanderer," he replied with a sad tone. Kaoru got the impression that he disliked wandering but decided to say nothing about it.  
  
"Oh, um," she paused, wondering how to get across what she was trying to say. "I don't mean to be rude but, I'm curious to know what excuse they gave to pursue an innocent person this time," she finished.  
  
"And how do you know for sure that I'm as innocent as you claim Kaoru- dono," he said without looking up from his food and still using his polite yet icy tone that seemed to separate him from the rest of the world.  
  
Taken slightly aback by his comment, she replied, "It's just that they've been arresting just about anyone these days and guess I just wanted to know why they picked you."  
  
For a moment Kenshin got a sad look in his eyes as if he was thinking about something, or someone that depressed him, but quickly covered up his emotion again as he had once they had arrived at her house. For a second Kaoru thought she glimpsed a streak of gold in his eyes, but it disappeared in an instant. Suddenly he looked up, eyes narrowing, as if he had heard something. Almost right after that he said in a fast paced voice, "Hide all your training gear, hurry, they're coming."  
  
Kaoru didn't move for a second, still startled and confused by what he had said. "Nani?" she managed to whisper. His reply was a short but simple, "Just do it and do it quickly." Then he donned his cape and disappeared out the back door before she could think up another reply.  
  
Deciding to trust what he said, ('Better safe than sorry,' she thought to herself) and hid all her training items she had been practicing with under the floor of the main practice room. Then she quickly ran to her room to change into her regular yellow kimono.  
  
It all took only about two minutes but as soon as she had finished tying her obi, a loud knock came from outside the ex-dojo.  
  
"Open up, this is the police!"  
  
Kaoru rushed to the gate and opened the doors revealing a group of about twenty policemen. And they all have swords, too, she thought to herself. Why did they come here? She immediately thought of Kenshin and what he had said just moments before and how he had been chase the other day. She knew she could not give away any hint that he had been at her house. Though his injured arm was healing quickly and Kaoru didn't doubt that he could wield a sword if he wanted to, Kenshin could still hardly defend himself without his wound reopening and making his condition worse. Besides, the police had probably just been looking for someone to pick on. But then why would this many policemen be here just for him?  
  
The police rushed forth into her yard and house before she could stop them; one of them stayed behind. Scanning his figure, she recognized him as the Chief of Police. He spoke to her in harsh tone. "Excuse me, Miss. We are on a mandatory search for Battousai the Manslayer. Is it possible you may have seen him? He has bright red hair and possibly a wounded arm. Battousai is needless to say, highly wanted by the police and we would appreciate you giving us any information you have on him. He was almost caught in the marketplace yesterday but it appears he had some outside help to escape so we are searching residential homes."  
  
Kaoru didn't answer for a moment, so he continued, "He may go by the name Himura Kenshin. Refusing to give up any information about him would be a direct violation of the law. We could arrest you right now if we have any reason to suspect you."  
  
Kaoru's head was buzzing. The Battousai, eh? That would explain why he seemed to look familiar before, one time he had worked with my father. I don't think he ever knew my father's name since there were no introductions between them. My father knew he was working with Battousai, but just about anyone knew who he was and Battousai didn't like to announce himself.  
  
Kaoru's father had been a spy for the Imperialists and posed as a General for the Tokugawa Shogunate so Battousai and him couldn't be seen together. No wonder he didn't seem so eager to talk, his job as an assassin didn't exactly require talking to people, just taking orders and completing them. He didn't want to give away too much information about himself, either. Probably judging if it was safe to trust me, Kaoru thought to herself. The look that the Chief had described had also been what was on the many 'Wanted' posters that were hung all over the town, no wonder he looked familiar.  
  
"I'm sorry you haven't seen anyone by that description," she managed to stammer, trying to keep the surprise out of her voice. Just realizing you had given the Battousai dinner and shelter without even knowing it tended to do that to you. For extra measure, she added, "I hope you catch him soon, after all the trouble he caused for the government during the revolution, it'd be nice to see him dead."  
  
He stared at her intently, then his gaze drifted over to the sign in front of her house reading 'Kamiya Residence.' "Wait a minute," he said, "Kamiya, as in General Kamiya?"  
  
"He was my father," Kaoru answered.  
  
"You're father did a great service to his country and is deeply respected by us all." He reached into his jacket and blew a small, shrill note from the whistle he pulled out. Within thirty seconds, the entire search party was assembled in the front, ready to depart. The Chief of Police said, "I'm calling off the search. The reason is that this here is Miss Kaoru Kamiya, daughter of the General Kamiya you all know. I'm sure she would be one of the first to turn in any information on Battousai if there is any."  
  
He nodded to his troops and Kaoru got a few strange looks as the troops headed out the door. From the way he spoke, she got the idea that her father was some sort of celebrity or something. "Kaoru-san," the Chief spoke again once the last of the police had filed out, "I just wanted to tell you that I respected your father very much as a General. Battousai was his worst enemy and I hope you think the same."  
  
"Thank you Sir," she replied while silently thinking about just how wrong he was. I guess my father really played his part as a spy well. No one seems to have suspected him. Battousai was "her father's worst enemy"? She would have laughed if the Chief wasn't still there staring at her.  
  
"Take care," he said simply and left her to her thoughts.  
  
She couldn't help but wonder, Kenshin, the Battousai? I guess he does fit the description. As she walked back inside, she didn't notice the person in the shadows watching her and hanging on to every word she had said.  
  
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Sorry this chapter is a little shorter than the first. To tell the truth, I didn't intend to make the first chapter that long. Anyways, I'm glad you liked it (you *are* reading the *second* chapter, so I figure if you absolutely hated it you wouldn't be reading this right now.) and if you're reading this out of boredom, that's okay, too. Yay! I actually got reviews!!! *does happy dance* And now to reply to the kind, grateful, inspiring (insert other nice words) reviewers:  
  
koe760: You're my first reviewer! I'm really glad you like it.  
  
Phèdre Nó Delauney: Thanks for the compliments. As for whether I can actually finish my fanfiction... I'll try, but I (sadly) don't control the inspiration I live off of.  
  
the sacred night: I don't get what's so bad about romance. I don't think this fic will be a romance one though; I really like romance, but I'm not great at writing it. I guess I could make it one if I wanted to, I'll just let it write itself and if it turns out to be romancy then blame the muses not me. I'm rambling now aren't I? Thanks for the email. ^_^x  
  
Fflur: Thank you!  
  
Tsugoi Kakarlena: *sweatdrop* I'll try to update soon... But like I said, I enjoy being EVIL!!! You should try it some time. Sh?ki: (points to Sango) Stop poisoning the minds of your readers! Sango: Too late!  
  
Sh?ki de nai: You spelled review wrong. Twice. Why would you flame me anyways? I thought you hated fire. I'm glad you've decided to review every chapter, but don't you think you should READ IT FIRST!?! I changed a few things from the rough draft.  
  
Kyande-chan: You spelled stuffs wrong 2. Just like Sh?ki. It's ok, i don't mind if u write in chat rm talk. Never mind. Glad you like it. (I think I said that to another person too, but I am glad.) Can I read your story?  
  
Sheik83: Yay!!! I like nice reviewers. Since I'm telling other people I know personally what they spelled wrong. You spelled 'grammar' wrong. Yes, I know I'm being annoying by telling you this. (See note at the beginning about being evil.) I don't know if I can update as frequently as I would like to. I guess I could try. I SHALL MAKE YOU DANCE. MWAHAHAHAHA!!! I need to review your stories. I feel bad now.  
  
Thank you all so much for reviewing. You have no idea how happy I am that people actually reviewed. *continues happy dance* I'm glad you think it's original enough, I wasn't sure if anyone else had already posted the idea or something. And PLEASE tell me if I'm spelling something wrong, because there are many different spellings on the fanfictions I read and different websites, I'm not sure of official spellings. Just out of curiosity. is anyone else irked by Toonami advertising for weeks that Kenshin would air at 9:30 and then unexpectedly changing it to 11:00?  
  
Please Review!  
  
~Sango 


	3. A Close Encounter

Thank you to all who reviewed and to Shoki for editing. If you didn't review. you could just write a few words. Just writing 'update soon' can really lift an author's day up, just ask my friends.  
  
Sango's friends: *frantically nod their heads up and down like there's no tomorrow*  
  
I'll just say this now, I can't update regularly. Sometimes I might write a chapter in a week, sometimes three or four weeks are needed. It all depends on how much spare time I have and how hectic school is. Once softball season ends I'll have a lot more time on my hands but that's not for another month or so, I don't know exactly.  
  
And I changed the rating to PG13 JUST TO BE SAFE. I just don't want to get in trouble or anything. If you guys think I should change it back to PG just tell me, ok? Thank you.  
  
Disclaimer:  
  
Sango: If you review I'll be happy to tell you all about how I don't own Rurouni Kenshin (however much I would like to). *Spies lawyers walking up driveway* um. o second thought, I'll tell you now. *clears throat* I don't own RK or its characters. There, happy now! *peeks out window to see if lawyers have disappeared* Phew! Maybe some of you could review anyway. *puppy-dog eyes* Actually, a lot of you reviewed so I shouldn't say that. Thank you!  
  
Yahiko: You are sooo desperate.  
  
Sango: You really think so, Yahiko-chan?  
  
Yahiko: Yes,. hey! Don't call me chan, you don't have to torture me, I'm not even in the story, yet anyways.  
  
Sango: *starts writing franticly, adding Yahiko into obscure moments in the story* But it's so fun, plus, your friends told me to call you Yahiko- chan. They thought it was cute.  
  
Yahiko: I told you, DON'T CALL ME CHAN!!!  
  
*the Kenshin-gumi (minus Yahiko) are seen snickering in the corner*  
  
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"." = talking italics = thinking or emphasis on certain words, I think you people are smart enough to tell the difference.  
  
A History of Change  
  
By: Sango Himura  
  
Chapter 3: A Close Encounter  
  
At first relieved that the police hadn't found her hidden stash of training supplies, Kaoru now began to worry about Kenshin. He had been gone since the police came and it had been almost three days now. I hope they don't catch him, Kaoru thought to herself. I don't think I could stand it if he left either... Wait a second Kaoru, she scolded herself, you've only known him half a day. He's probably just going to leave town anyways. It's probably unsafe to stay here.  
  
Kaoru subconsciously set the table for two, just in case he came back for a lunch. After the rice balls she made were ready, she served herself and sat down at the table to eat. She used her lunch to conjure up new questions to ask Kenshin when he came back, if he came back. Was he really the Battousai? She already knew the answer to that question, though she would feel better if it came from him. Did he even remember her father?  
  
Kaoru looked forlornly to the sky blanketed with grey clouds that would later rain heavy downpours that would turn the roads to mush. It depressed her even more. Long ago she had enjoyed the rain. Her mother and she had enjoyed dancing through it like it was the happiest day of their lives. Her father would watch from the porch, smiling, always smiling.  
  
Then, the night he went away, another assignment in Kyoto, it rained. Her father never came back. From then on, Kaoru had always been disheartened whenever the sheets of water came pouring down. She still had the last letter he sent her, saying he still had at least a month left for business, but that he would come home as soon as he could. Almost a month later, a man walked up to their dojo and had told them the news. Mr. Kamiya had deceased, though they didn't say how. Shortly after her mother died of grief and Kaoru lived alone.  
  
Kaoru had taught her father's students for about a month, but soon they stopped coming, many had had to fight in the war.  
  
Nowadays, she missed the students greatly, especially a small spiky-haired kid named Yahiko. He was the only one that didn't have to go and fight, being only about four or five years old at time. Yahiko was always calling her busu but she enjoyed chasing him around for it. He had tons of determination and she enjoyed teaching him Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu. That joy had been taken away after the war, though he still snuck in lessons when he could.  
  
Now he had to support himself by working since Kaoru had been his main meal provider, who was almost broke. She had been able to survive by selling all of the unnecessary items in her house, her parents had been collectors, but now she needed to find a job.  
  
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Kenshin hated killing people. I've seen too much of it during the revolution, He thought while reflexively stroking the hilt of his sakabatou. The reverse blade sword he now carried helped him not to kill when he didn't want to but he occasionally flipped the blade when his opponent was exceptionally strong or would hunt him down even after he was defeated. (A/N He doesn't have his non-killing oath. I think it was PraseDivineMercy who asked that, so, here's your answer. ^_^x )  
  
Now he wondered what to do about his dilema. I should have never gone to her dojo, now she knows I was Battousai and would me happy to se me gone from this world, just like everyone else. For some reason his last thought rang clear in his head over and over. She'll probably go to the police and turn me in, and get a handsome reward for doing so. The money alone might be enough of a reason. No, she wouldn't do that, his mind argued back. Her father was a general for heaven's sake, of course she will.  
  
It was useless. No matter how hard he tried to convince himself, he still couldn't fight his instinct; those who know his identity, are killed. It was the same during the revolution when he had fought as Battousai. Only his allies knew who he really was and he had remembered what Kaoru had said. He would never forget what he had overheard. Why me, Kenshin thought to himself.  
  
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Remembering there was an opening for a nurse down at Megumi's clinic, Kaoru set out once again to the town square, then headed off on one of the many side roads. She finally reached a shabby shop-like building that looked like it tried it's best to look kept-up.  
  
As she walked in, a little bell tinkered, letting the long-haired receptionist know she was there. The tag on her desk read "Makimachi Misao". The girl (or teen I should say) looked up and said in an overly- perky voice, "Hello! I'm Misao, what's your name? I'm new here, are you here to apply for a job?" came the flow of questions.  
  
"Yes, actually, I am. Can you please tell me where Miss Megumi is?" Kaoru answered. She didn't have to wait for an answer though, because at that moment another long-black-haired woman came walking out from down the hallway that lead from the back. However, she had her hair brushed and neatly flowing behind her unlike Misao, who kept her hair in a waist-length braid.  
  
"Why hello Tanuki, what brings you here?" Megumi said. "Finally out of money? I wondered when you would realize you can't sell family artifacts for a living." Kaoru almost instinctively found herself wanting to yell back at her but reminded herself that she was going to be asking this woman for a job. It wasn't the best idea to antagonize her. Plastering on a pained smile, she replied a small, "Yes, I was hoping I could get a job. Please."  
  
"Okay then! I was wondering when someone would show up, I mean, jobs are scarce these days. You're lucky I'm going to let you work here." Megumi said as she watched Kaoru's face turn a light shade of pink. Kaoru hated to ask anyone for anything, especially when that anyone happened to be Megumi. She had no real reason to hate Megumi except for the constant jokes and belittlements that came her way. However, even through all the teasing they threw at each other, Kaoru still regarded Megumi as a big sister and she knew that Megumi would agree that they were as strong as sisters.  
  
Megumi, deciding to stop making comments towards Kaoru, showed her an apron and told her that she could help clean out some of the cupboards. Kaoru wasn't a trained doctor, but she could still help do little chores to tidy the place up a little bit. They had a few villagers that came to her clinic for everything they needed but others kept away, thinking that women shouldn't be doctors.  
  
Her first day was fairly easy, she finished cleaning the cupboards and went on to sterilize the medical tools and finally, start making the outside a little more presentable. The last part of her day was spent working out her hours and pay with Megumi (Misao joined the conversation at the end).  
  
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When Kaoru finally got out at about 4:00, the promised rain had begun to fall in light sprinkles. (A/N I don't know if they had clocks in that time period in Japan, but let's pretend Megumi had one in her clinic, O.K.?) She ran home but not before her kimono had become slightly damp. She hadn't been able to go very fast so she had gotten a little more wet than she had intended (YOU think about running in a kimono in the rain) and so she changed into a practice gi and hakama.  
  
Making sure all the doors were securely locked and any windows closed, she went into her (former) practice room and lifted up a couple of floorboards next to the shrine for her father. Underneath was a medium-sized box. Kaoru opened its lid and took out a bokken. What a perfect day to practice, she thought. Practicing in the rain calmed her and made her forget about her troubles.  
  
She began by meditating, but only for a short time. Kaoru was nervous, jumpy even, though the steady pounding of the rain usually soothed her. She felt something was going to happen. Soon.  
  
Giving up on trying to meditate, she picked up her bokken and began her practice swings. The rain poured down even harder and the sky darkened as it got later into the day. After working for about an hour and a half, she stopped to take a break and light a candle to make it easier to see.  
  
Only a little while more, she told herself as she moved towards the lantern to light it. Suddenly, she got the strangest feeling, like she was being watched. Even though she couldn't sense ken ki, she could feel that someone was just outside the room, standing in the rain. She felt it move closer even though no sound could be heard except the rain.  
  
Finding her voice and trying not to sound as afraid as she was, Kaoru asked, "Who's there?"  
  
A slight 'click' was heard from the other side of the room.  
  
"Come out, show yourself!" Kaoru tested her voice once more, thoroughly scared now.  
  
A gust of wind brushed through the thin shoji and Kaoru barely had time to blink before she found a sword held up to her throat. It was too dark now to see the owner of the sword's face. She stood perfectly still, cold sweat dripping down her brow.  
  
The person with the sword didn't move for at least a minute but it felt like an eternity to the girl standing and awaiting death.  
  
Then Kaoru, for reasons unknown to even herself, whispered a single word, a name actually. It was the first thing that came to mind. "Kenshin." Just after she said it, she thought of how stupid she was and mentally kicked herself. Her last word, the name of someone she had met less than a week ago.  
  
When Kaoru said that name, she felt the sword push farther up against her skin for a moment, then it disappeared altogether as it was sheathed.  
  
The person disappeared just as quickly as they appeared, but Kaoru remembered catching a glimpse of burning amber eyes with a hint of violet.  
  
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I didn't exactly leave it on a total cliffhanger this time. *dodges various sharp objects thrown by readers* I had kind of wanted to leave it at the part when the intruder (I hope you guys know who it is, but if you don't, I could tell you in the next chappie or something.) had just gone up to Kaoru but it felt better to add the last part on.  
  
the sacred night: Thank you again. That thing about calliope is neat. I like mythology but have never really studied it. I'm sorry if it is kind of romancy, which it probably will be, at least a little, but hopefully not a whole lot because I wasn't intending for it to be a romance.  
  
Aryana1: I'm not sure this is going to be a romance story, that's not what I had originally intended it to be but I don't think I can get away with no romance at all. I just kind of write off inspiration so it might have romance and it might not. Thanks for the review!  
  
Koishii-glory: Thank you! It makes me feel so good when people say they really like it. ^.^x  
  
PraiseDivineMercy: I hope I answered your question. I'm not sure if Tomoe will have been part of the story but Kenshin doesn't have his non-killing oath. However, he does dislike killing and tries to avoid it when possible. And he carries his sakabatou. Thanx!  
  
Kitsune KeNsHiN: Ahh, you'll just have to wait to see if he leaves or not. I really appreciate the review. ^_^x  
  
Sheik83: It's ok, I'm not great at writing reviews either. But just the fact that you took the time to write down some words into the little review box is really nice.  
  
Tsugoi Kakarlena: I'm sorry, I didn't mean to kill you or anything by not updating. Did you see the note in the second chapter about me liking being evil? Hehehe. Your review made me laugh, even though I'm not positive I should be laughing about something like someone dying. Thank you for reviewing!  
  
Shoki de nai: -_-;; You know, you didn't actually say anything about the story, but thanks for reviewing anyway!  
  
Oh yeah, if you have any ideas or want me to put something in the story, just tell me. If you give me an idea and I use it I'll give you proper credit.  
  
Thanks and please review!  
  
~Sango 


	4. Running and Explaination

Author's notes, some are actually IMPORTANT!!!  
  
NUMBER ONE: I just looked back on all of my chapters and noticed that, at least on my computer, the italics don't show up. Neither do more than one space between lines. I had looked at it before and could have sworn that the italics were there. Bold doesn't show up either. I tried saving it as an html document but when I uploaded it to ff.net, the quotation marks or apostrophes didn't show up (italics did though). I'm going insane, even more than I was before.  
  
NUMBER TWO: Is the group Kenshin worked for called the 'Isshin Shishi' or the 'Ishin Shishi'. I DON'T KNOW IF THERE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE TWO 'S's IN THE FIRST WORD!!! I've seen it spelled both ways, but I'm not sure which one is the correct one. THANK YOU!!!  
  
Other Stuff: I would just like to thank Shoki sooooooo much for giving me one of the best ideas for this chapter. No, seriously people, she fixed a HUGE glitch that I had in my story. I can't tell you what she did now because then it would spoil the whole chapter. I'll tell anyone who cares at the end.  
  
Oh, and if you guys remember, I said at the last chapter that I didn't leave make it as much of a cliffhanger, I never said that it wasn't one. Just thought I'd clear that up. *is pelted with more objects thrown by cliffie-hating readers*  
  
Disclaimer:  
  
Sango: *looking at script* I. don't. own. Rurouni. Kenshin. *sobs* O.k. I said what you want, just DON'T MAKE ME SAY IT AGAIN!!! *runs off crying*  
  
Kaoru: What's up with her?  
  
Sano: She just had to say that she didn't own us for the disclaimer.  
  
Kaoru: YES!!! I was beginning to worry that she might start to think she owns RK since she's been writing about us and all.  
  
Sano: Don't worry, I don't think Watsuki-san would ever sell his prized possession.  
  
(Somewhere in Japan)  
  
Watsuki-san: *sitting in front of computer, suddenly yells to some kid on the street* Hey kid! How much do you think Rurouni Kenshin would sell for?  
  
Kid: I dunno, how about a million dollars?  
  
Watsuki-san: Cool!!! *posts RK on ebay*  
  
Sano: uh oh.  
  
(I don't know if I could get sued for this, but Watsuki-sama didn't post RK on Ebay and if he did, I wouldn't be able to afford it anyway. I only have *checks wallet* about $10. So there.)  
  
------------------------------------------  
  
"." = talking /./ = thoughts, FOR NOW, only until I can fix that stupid problem.  
  
A History of Change  
  
By Sango Himura  
  
Chapter 4: Running and Explaination  
  
Kaoru just stood there for a second, thinking about how close she had come to meeting her maker.  
  
Then she heard the last ting she expected, police whistles. Gripping her bokken tighter, she dashed out of the dojo and into the road. Al-the-while trying not to bump into things in the dark, for the intruder had blown out all of her lanterns.  
  
Once in the semi-lighted road it was easy to see the navy-blue uniforms of the squad of police that ran past. One of them spotted her and broke off from the group to talk to her.  
  
"Sorry to disturb you Miss, but it has been hinted that the Battousai is nearby. We strongly urge you to go back inside until he is caught," the somewhat-perky officer said in a rather fast-paced voice.  
  
/This is all a game to him/, she realized. Battousai was only a legend, an evil demon to be hunted and destroyed, honor goes to his killer. This man had not had to grow up during the Bakumatsu; he had not had to live in fear every day of his life.  
  
Paying no attention to Kaoru's inner turmoil, the youthful police officer took her silence for understanding and rushed to join his peers.  
  
Kaoru, taking care to stay in the shadows, ran to find Kenshin. She thought nothing of the fact that he had just tried to kill her, only that he probably needed help. (A/N Boy, Kaoru can sure be a little too helping and kind sometimes, ne?)  
  
She decided her best bet was to silently follow the small police squad that had just passed by. This was a pretty good plan until the group chose to split up, /not exactly wise when looking for the most dangerous assassin known to Japan/, Kaoru noted. She wondered where the other squads were, there had to be more than one. Or did they consider Kenshin that weak. Sure, his arm wasn't totally healed yet, but he could still fight one heck of a lot better than most.  
  
----------------------------------------------------  
  
/Not again/, Kenshin thought. /I should never have even stayed here after my first encounter with the police. I guess all those hitokiri tricks I learned don't seem to want to help me escape. Darn, I could always escape during the revolution, why not now?/  
  
/Now they're chasing me again, but this time someone must have tipped them. I've let no one see me, except Kaoru. But she wouldn't do that./ He knew she wouldn't, ever since she had said his name back there in the dojo.  
  
Kenshin couldn't explain it but it was almost like an unspoken bond between them. But then who tipped the police off?  
  
Kenshin listened for a sound in the road he wanted to cross, but one didn't come. He could feel someone's ki, but it wasn't strong enough to cause any worry. Plus, there were so many police crawling about that he probably just felt one of theirs. Judging it safe, he ran silently out into the street, straight into the nozzle of a gun.  
--------------------------------------------------------  
  
The person cocked the gun while saying calmly, "Stand down Battousai. We have you surrounded."  
  
It was the young police officer Kaoru had met before. As he said these words, the small squad stood up, revealing their hiding places. They all had guns, and they were pointed directly at him.  
  
/No wonder I didn't feel any threatening ki/, Kenshin thought. /They have almost no fighting spirit, they just use guns./ As if to confirm his inward statement, he glanced around. Even though it was dark except for the faint glimmer of one of the street lanterns, he couldn't make out the outline of a sword's sheath hanging next to a single one of them.  
  
/Cowards,/ he grimaced. Unfortunately, those cowards just happened to have the upper hand.  
  
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Kaoru heard voices from her hiding place in the shadows. By following the group members of the squad a little more, she figured out that they didn't actually split up, just went into separate hiding spots. She just watched as they all took their places.  
  
Then, she sensed someone coming, though she still couldn't hear anything. The police already had their guns cocked, ready to fire.  
  
The silence grew deeper and Kaoru thought she saw a slight outline of a figure come towards them. It suddenly stopped. Kaoru saw the reason why as the moonlight reflected off a gun.  
  
The gunman muttered something she couldn't quite make out, but the gun being cocked echoed loud and clear. Sweating just as heavily as she had with a sword held up to her throat, Kaoru knew she had to do something.  
  
Rushing forth as silently and swiftly as a cat, she hit the man with the gun in the back of the head with her ever-present bokken. The other officers were inexperienced and didn't seem to know what to do, which provided the all perfect escape the girl and the ex-assassin.  
  
Kenshin wasn't quite sure what to do at first but soon recognized the friendly ki of the person grabbing his hand and urging him to move. He, being the faster runner and using his famous speed, picked Kaoru up and sped back to the dojo, hoping the police weren't smart enough to be able to pick up their trail.  
  
-------------------------------------------------  
  
They were both safely inside the gate, listening to the scurrying of the police outside. Kenshin put her Kaoru down and they both wan into the dojo.  
  
Kaoru quickly opened the floorboard where she stored her bokkens and motioned for Kenshin to climb down into the opening. It proved to be quite spacey. Even though it was only four feet below the floor, the room, or basement of sorts, traveled under the whole of the training dojo.  
  
Kaoru stayed above, thinking it might be suspicious if the police had another search and there wasn't anyone home, especially after she had been spotted by one of the officers. She left the bokken she had been carrying under the floorboards with Kenshin, making sure it was in an easy-to-get-to place in case it was needed.  
  
The police, not to anyone's surprise, came around again even though the streets were still barely visible.  
  
Kaoru opened the door still dressed in a gi and hakama but they paid her no notice. Only a quick search was performed before they left again, finding nothing to be suspicious about.  
  
Once they had left, Kaoru brought Kenshin a spare futon though she doubted either of them would get any sleep as the police whistles continued to ring all through the night.  
  
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When the first crack of dawn emerged from the clouds, Kaoru left her room, not being able to take the heavy silence any longer. Walking out into the dojo, she opened lifted the floorboard to find Kenshin had also stayed up all night.  
  
Kenshin squinted as sunlight streamed across the polished floors out of a crack in the door, eyes still accustomed to the darkness.  
  
The police were still searching, being it was the second time Battousai had escaped their grasp in the past week or so. He suspected someone had been fired after last night.  
  
It was still kind of dark and Kaoru decided to sit against the wall to the left of the door. Kenshin followed and sat cross-legged next to her.  
  
"I. I just wanted to say. thank you for helping me," he said with difficulty. "I wanted to ask you, why did you do that? You could have easily been killed," he finished in a whisper.  
  
"I was worried about you," Kaoru answered, also in a whisper for no apparent. She didn't think any police would come in because they heard talking but it seemed more peaceful this way.  
  
Kenshin however, seemed startled by her comment. "You were. *worried* about me?" he asked now using an unsure voice. "But I am, sorry *was*, a hitokiri. Don't you care?"  
  
"I thought I told you," she answered, immediately annoyed. "One, I don't care about your past and tow, you're welcome to stay here for a while. Though I don't know how safe it would be to stay *here*."  
  
Kenshin looked at her with skeptical eyes that made Kaoru get the feeling he didn't believe her. "But what about what you had said to the Police Chief. That didn't sound like not caring about people's pasts to me."  
  
Kaoru's eyes widened, realizing he had heard that whole conversation. Suddenly everything made sense; he thought she'd get the police.  
  
"Kenshin no baka!" she shouted, receiving another weird look from Kenshin. "I couldn't exactly have said 'yeah I know who Himura the Battousai is. In fact, he's staying at my house but you can't come in because he's my friend' without being carted off to jail. Didn't you notice that I *did* say that I didn't know who or where you were?"  
  
Kenshin's logic had been crushed. Everything had almost made sense. She had just been acting when talking to those policemen? Now he felt absolutely stupid and not for the first time. He had almost killed someone just because he hadn't taken time to consider and remember *everything* she had said.  
  
/At least I didn't go through with it,/ he thought, relieved though embarrassed.  
  
Kaoru just watched his face turn a slight shade of pink, thoroughly amused. /I wonder how many people have seen the great Hitokiri Battousai blush/, her mind said.  
  
Turning serious again, Kaoru told him to just put it behind them. Now, they needed to find a way to leave the city with the full line of police patrolling the city.  
  
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I would like to credit my friend Shoki for coming up with the idea of Kenshin being chased, again. You people don't know how much of a glitch she fixed my telling me that in English class. Yes, I was paying attention in class, she told me in the first couple minutes before she started talking. She's a genius people, a pure genius.  
  
Replies to the Glorious Reviewers:  
  
koishii-glory: Thanks again. To tell the truth, I'm not *exactly* positive where I'm going with this so if you have any ideas, please tell me. I have some other stuff I could put in but I need to think of something more than just a main part I want to get to. ^_^x  
  
Rekka Yoruhana: I don't think you need to duck tape anyone to the wall, though. And I like your story, don't advertise against it. You don't update as often but you have a heck of a lot longer chapters than me, so I don't think it counts. Thank you!  
  
Shoki de nai: You did put up your story so all my hard work pestering you paid off. ^.^x And in case you haven't read all the other stuff I wrote: THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! And you should UPDATE sooner than every TWO WEEKS because: 1). You already have many chapters written and 2). Your chapters are shorter (no offense). CYA at school!  
  
Geminidragon: Yes, Kaoru's father is dead. And I'm trying to make Sano have an appearance, I already tried to put most of the characters in already, so why should I leave out him? You can be pretty sure he will appear some time in the next chapter or two (or three if I'm lazy). Thanks for the compliment.  
  
Kitsune KeNsHiN: Thank you for understanding about school and stuff. I wish in English class we could just write, I mean, isn't that what you do in English, write? Yes, it was a cliffy, just not as much of a cliffy as I had planned, thanks for saying it was good though. I always thought 'good cliffhanger' was an oxymoron, but I know what you mean.  
  
sayiangohan16: Sorry about making you wait and stuff. I'm not a HUGE fan of cliffhangers either but I like to put them in. Don't ask. You're the first person to comment on the Dance Revolution games. *hands sayiangohan16 a candy bar* And I'm glad *someone* reads what I actually have to say in author's notes. I usually try to read them all too. Maybe I'll try to put extra info in there for you and other people who read it. ^_^x  
  
the sacred night: Chapter three was longer? I counted the words all of the chapters (not including author's notes or replies to reviews or anything) and chapter three is about 151 words longer, I don't know if that's the *exact number* or not. Thank you for not being upset or anything. I'm actually trying not to make it too romancy since I'm *trying* to write a different story that's a romance, I'm not sure if I'll ever post it though. Thank you!  
  
Tsugoi Kakalena: Liked your review. If you're already dead, then why do you need a chapter to help you live? Never mind. I'll take whatever you said as a compliment, thank you. @.@x  
  
Phèdre Nó Delauney: I reviewed your story to the best of my abilities (I don't watch a whole lot of the Dragonball shows but I think I said that.) And thank you so much for the compliments, they mean a whole lot to me. Hope you get lots of reviews!  
  
Kantari: Thank you! Your review is a great example of how just a few words can really be a big compliment and make an author feel appreciated. ^_^x  
  
Thank you so much and please review if you can!  
  
~Sango 


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